Pouring a golden-straw color with crisp white foam, Strike’s Blonde ale presents a refreshingly hoppy aroma profile filled with zesty citric and floral notes. On the palate, the beer’s core of pale malt is generous and bolstered by a little wheat to contribute a bit of characteristic tartness, but those citric/floral and somewhat leafy hop notes predominate with a satisfying and very Cascade-like personality. At 30 IBUs this blonde is not one...

Brewed in the style of a German black lager (“schwarzbier”), albeit with a bit more oomph than is typical, this GABF silver medal winner (which also happens to be Certified Organic) pours a very dark brownish-black with a robust and long-lasting head of light brown foam. Look for aromas of milk & dark chocolate, mild coffee grounds, brown sugar and caramel, all overlaid with a bit of grassy and spicy noble hops. We’re off to a good start. On...

Strike’s Porter pours a rich, deep brown with plenty of fluffy foam. On the nose, expect the classic porter aromas of chocolate and roasty malts, along with a touch of vanilla and an overlaying sweet, floral, Goldings hop note that imparts a bit of English character. Those well-roasted malts take center stage on the palate, delivering plenty of dark roast coffee character. There’s a prominent woodiness, too, and the combination of dark malt...

IPAs have become so popular that the “Session IPA” sub-style is now emerging for those of us who enjoy big, hoppy beers but are not always wanting the 7%-ish ABV that comes with the traditional version. Uinta’s Trader Session IPA did a great job of easily satisfying our hop thirst while weighing in only around 4%, an impressive feat! This bright copper brew builds plenty of rocky white foam as you pour, from which emerge big and brightly...

Old Crafty Hen is a very special version of Old Speckled Hen, one of England’s more famous and classic ales. This version is blended with a 12% ABV Greene King brew known as "Old 5X," a vintage Old Ale that is not sold on its own but instead is blended into the ale you have before you now. The brewery ages Old 5X in three old oak foudres (huge barrels) for 2 to 5 years before skillfully blending it with fresh ale to create Old Crafty Hen.

Pilsners are often not given enough respect because of the horrendously cheap imitations that have spread throughout the world like some kind of plague of poor taste. The Würzburger Pilsner, however, is an example of exactly how the style is supposed to be done. In fact, we feel this German-style pils (there are Czech-style pilsners as well) is a great example of why the style became so popular in the first place. On the pour, look for a...

Telegraph Brewing Company's Buellton Silent Partner a great looking beer, offering everything we'd hope for from a world-class saison from the onset. A beautiful, hazed honey-golden like a sunrise, bright and bold in the glass, with a firm white head that tends to fill up the remainder of one’s room. Solid retention and lacing that coats the interior, and minuscule, glistening bubbles from its bottle conditioning...

The tart, generous aromatics on this just spill out of the glass… But one thing at a time. This pours golden along the edges, like liquid honey, while the core color veers more towards rich mahogany and, of course, leather-bound books. We're fancy people, despite what our lovely significant others say, and this is, by all appearances, a fancy friggin beer: pulpy, honey hued, with lots of vibrant color variation from edge to center. We poured...